Volleyball Game Preview: Montello Hilltoppers vs. Heritage Christian Patriots

The Montello Hilltoppers will take on the Heritage Christian Patriots on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Montello comes in on five and Heritage Christian on 21.

Montello is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They won by a set and slipped past Wabeno/Laona 3-2.

Rylan Harder

Digs (Career)

11/01/25 vs Wabeno/Laona	19
09/26/24 @ Dodgeland	15
09/12/24 vs Cambria-Friesland	15
09/13/25 vs Three Lakes	14
09/14/24 vs Rosholt	14

Rylan Harder was nothing short of spectacular: she had 19 digs and two aces. Those 19 digs gave her a new career-high.

Waterloo typically has all the answers at home, but on Saturday Heritage Christian proved too difficult a challenge. They walked away with a 3-1 win over the Pirates.

Heritage Christian had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. The match finished with set scores of 23-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-18.

Montello better focus on containing Nina Dorger and Ainsley Ellis as the pair were huge in Heritage Christian's win. Dorger had 13 digs and one assist, while Ellis hit 60% for six kills and three digs and three aces. Ellis is also on a roll when it comes to assists, as she's now posted 14 or more in each of the last 14 games she's played.

Montello's record is now 35-6. As for Heritage Christian, their record now sits at 37-6.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Montello has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.8 aces per game. However, it's not like Heritage Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.7 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other volleyball content.